The Roosters have been floated as a potential landing spot for disgruntled Dragons star Ben Hunt in a bid to help their injury crisis and achieve his premiership dream.
Hunt has been linked with an extension with the Dragons, a move to the Bulldogs and a return home to Queensland, but the Roosters are his best shot at winning an elusive title.
The Roosters will be without star spine players in Sam Walker and Brandon Smith for a large chunk of the 2025 season and Braith Anasta believes they could go big to replace them and strengthen their title push.
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“Without Smith and Walker for the final series, but also six months or longer into next year the Roosters are going to be missing these two key playmakers two of their bigger marquee players,” Anasta said on NRL 360.
“Do we know if the Roosters are trying to sign anyone else to replace them because it’s going to be a significant amount of time where they’re not going to have these two next year.”
Phil Rothfield believes the Roosters could opt to bring in the experience of signing Chad Townsend, but at this stage they will rely on Sandon Smith and Connor Watson filling the voids.
“They signed Chad Townsend, which I found an odd signing,” Rothfield said.
“At this stage they’re going to have to run with Sandon Smith and Connor Watson.”
However, Anasta believes the Roosters have shown historically that they do not sit on their hands as they aim to lift the silverware every season.
“The point is that we know they’ve signed those players, but that’s not usually how the Roosters operate,” Anasta said.
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“Usually they won’t sit back and settle for mediocrity. They want to win premierships.”
Rothfield noted there are not a lot of quality spine players available in 2025, but Hunt could be one pending a release from the Dragons.
“But you can’t overnight just bring in a halfback replacement for Sam Walker,” Rothfield said. “They don’t exist. Unless they can do a deal with the Dragons and say give us Ben Bunt for one year and we’ll send you a couple of players. But there’s no like for like swap course.”
Paul Crawley agreed with Anasta that the Roosters won’t wait until their stars return to make a run at the title in 2025 and believes Hunt is the ideal candidate to replace Smith at hooker.
“What I think is when the Roosters go into a season, they don’t go in there to wait for Sam to return in May and Brandon Smith in July and think, we can give them that big a start and still hope to finish top four,” Crawley said.
“And the aim has to be finished top four at the Roosters.
“You mention Ben Hunt and I know that this has been knocked down by the Roosters, but if it could happen it would make sense because Brandon Smith is off contract at the end of next year.
“And while Hunt could come in and easily fill in for Sam, Mal Meninga, Queensland everyone seems to agree despite the fact that Ben Hunt spent his career playing halfback, his best position is hooker.
“And he could be an absolute masterstroke at hooker and he covers both positions.”
Anasta noted that Roosters chairman Nick Politis denied they are looking for a big fish, but that doesn’t mean they are not behind closed doors.
“Nick Politis came out and said they’re not looking for any major signings, so he’s saying no, so let’s make that clear,” Anasta said.
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However, Rothfield believes the Roosters need to sign some stars with an exodus of big names leaving the club at the end of the season.
“They’ll have to get someone because Manu is going, Suaalii is going, Warea-Hargreaves is going and Keary is going,” Rothfield said.
“They’re going to have to bring in some new troops.
“I think Manu will come back. He will be back in the comp by June after his stint in Japanese rugby.”
“They have a lot of blokes coming through who will rise up into the top 30,” Crawley interjected.
“But I don’t know if they are ready,” Rothfield said.
However, pone exception could be Smith at halfback, according to Rothfield.
“The thing I will say about Sandon Smith is he showed me last week that behind a good pack and those rolling middles that he is just about up for it,” Rothfield said.
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